How are environmental movements formed in non-democratic regimes? A case study of the Taldykol movement in Kazakhstan

What brings the local community to seek better environmental outcomes in authoritarian countries? Research on citizen participation in the decision-making process finds that in most cases local communities are not involved in the decision-making processes and are even ignored by decision-makers in authoritarian regimes. However, local communities still seek to influence these decision-making bodies, and use protests and events to inform people of the problem and seek better environmental policies from government authorities. Following the COVID pandemic, citizens in Astana, Kazakhstan were seeking to find a form of socialism and better their communities; a predicament seen in many communities throughout the world. As the need to better their community rose the local authorities began to destroy a local lake system that has important ecological and historical significance. This has driven the local community to come together in protests over the Taldykol lakes, and by studying this emerging social movement, we can better understand how and why the local community has formed this movement and how it is able to continue on and attempt to influence change in an authoritarian country. Through 25 interviews with members of the SOS.Taldykol movement and adjacent organizations, we will better understand (1) how environmental movements form in authoritarian regimes; (2) what barriers does the state create to formation or engagement with the environmental movement; and, (3) how the environmental movement grows even in an authoritarian system. This will help non-governmental organizations and academics understand more about environmental social movements which may be an important part of eliciting change in even authoritarian policy making environments.